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Debbie Shore's Dressmaking Studio: Oversized Shirt
Moderate |
Quick Links: What you'll need Project steps
Make a drop-shoulder shirt using the downloadable pattern in sizes 4–32. It’s oversized for a loose, relaxed fit and is the ideal shirt for holiday wear.
About the Shirt
This shirt pattern has the look of a classic button-down shirt but without the fiddly buttoned cuffs and sleeve plackets. Instead, the sleeves have a simple double hem which is easier to sew and also means we can include a three-quarter-length sleeve option as well as full-length sleeves. I really love the three-quarter length sleeves and chose them for the shirt I made in the video.
A Note on Yokes
On the back of the shirt there’s a classic pleat and yoke, which is a traditional feature of this style of shirt. The yoke lining is cut from the same fabric as the outer yoke, but if your fabric is fairly thin and has a bold pattern, you may prefer to use plain fabric in a toning colour for the yoke that will be used for the lining so that the pattern doesn’t show through.
Making the Collar
The shirt also has a ‘proper’ collar, with a ‘stand’, which is a slim curved piece that sits between the main collar and the shirt and gives it a formal, neat shape. Making this collar may push you a little but don’t worry – just follow along with the instructions and you should be fine as the process of making the collar has been broken down into plenty of steps.
How to Adjust the Pattern
On me, the shirt comes roughly to my hip, but if you want it longer, this is an easy adjustment to make – refer to my video tip on Lengthening and shortening patterns for information on how to do this. If you do lengthen it, remember that you’ll need to buy extra fabric too.
Note: use a ⅜in (1cm) seam allowance unless otherwise stated.
Suitable fabrics
Choose a woven, non-stretchy fabric for this pattern in a light to medium weight. Cotton shirting fabric, light-weight linen, cotton chambray, Tencel, rayon/viscose or blends of any of these will all work well. Note that the fabric requirements do not account for any pattern matching, so if you have chosen a fabric with a bold pattern repeat, such as a large check, you should buy extra fabric to account for the pattern matching. If this is your first time making a shirt, you can make your life simpler by choosing a fabric with an all-over pattern that doesn’t require matching.
As usual with any dressmaking project, it’s a good idea to make a toile (test version) first to see how the shirt fits. Use a cheaper fabric for this but with similar drape and weight to your chosen fabric.
Choosing your size
Always choose the pattern size according to your measurements rather than simply opting for your usual dress size as different companies use different body sizing for their patterns.
The patterns come in two size sets. The first one, for sizes 4–18, is designed for a B cup while the second, for sizes 16–32 is designed for a D cup and has the addition of bust darts. This means that for sizes 16 and 18 you can choose which cup size is best for you and select from the appropriate set. In terms of dressmaking, a B cup means that the high bust (your body circumference just under your armpits) is 2in (5cm) smaller than your bust measurement (measured around the fullest part of the bust) and a D cup means that the high bust is 4in (10cm) smaller than your bust measurement.
Sew along with me!
There’s a video that accompanies this project so if you haven’t made a shirt before, be sure to watch it. You’ll also find some extra tips and advice in the video, so even if you been dressmaking for years, you’ll still find it helpful.
Want to make more?
If you’d like to make something to wear with your new shirt, you’ll find it will team beautifully with the Wide Leg Trousers or even the shorts version of the trousers. Or, if you prefer skirts, you may like to make the Stretch Knit Pencil Skirt, the Wrap Skirt or the fabulous Fluted Hem Skirt.
By the end of this project, you’ll have:
- Learnt how to make a formal shirt collar.
- Made a button stand/button band.
- Discovered how easy it is to sew a shirt yoke.
- Upped your dressmaking skills.
Don’t forget to admire the shirts that other members have made (see right) and, if you have any questions about making this pattern, remember to refer to the forum. You can also chat to other members via the Half Yard Sewing™ Club Facebook page.
The Templates
Size charts are included on the template pages. There are six options to choose from:
- Click here to download the A0 pdf pattern for sizes 4–18 (B cup)
- Click here to download the A0 pdf pattern for sizes 16–32 (D cup)
- Click here to download the A4 size pdf pattern for sizes 4–18 (B cup)
- Click here to download the A4 size pdf pattern for sizes 16–32 (D cup)
- Click here to download the US Letter size pdf pattern for sizes 4–18 (B cup)
- Click here to download the US Letter size pdf pattern for sizes 16–32 (D cup)
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You will need:
Equipment
- Sewing machine with a needle suitable for your fabric
- Printer paper, scissors and tape if printing the pattern at home
- Fabric shears
- Pins
- Small sharp scissors or a quick unpick/seam ripper to open up the buttonholes
- Point turner or something like a knitting needle or tweezers to help shape the collar points
- Erasable fabric marker
- Optional: overlocker for finishing the seam allowances
- Optional: spray starch, such as Best Press
Materials
- 59in (150cm) wide fabric: 1.6yd (1.4m) for sizes 4–12 (B cup), 2.1yd (1.9m) for sizes 14–18 (B cup), 2.3yd (2.1m) for sizes 16–22 (D cup) or 3.4yd (3.1m) for sizes 24–32 (D cup) OR, for 54in (137cm) wide fabric: 2yd (1.8m) for size 4–18 (B cup), 2.5yd (2.3m) for sizes 16–22 (D cup) or 3.8yd (3.5m) for sizes 24–32 (D cup) OR for 45in (115cm) wide fabric 2.4yd (2.2m) for sizes 4–12 (B cup), 2.6yd (2.4m) for sizes 14–18 (B cup), 3.7yd (3.4m) for sizes 16–22 (D cup) or 3.8yd (3.5m) for sizes 24–32 (D cup)
- 27½in (70cm) of lightweight fusible interfacing
- Six ½in (1.25cm) buttons
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Project steps:
Step 1
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Step 2
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